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Ehoa e te Tumuaki,—Tenei kua kite matou nga tangata Maori o te Rawhiti, timata atu i Wairarapa, Heretaunga, te Wairoa, te Mahia, Turanga, Whangara, Uawa, kua whakamana matou e aua Takiwa kia haere mai ki Poneke, mo nga Ture e ahu ana mo te taha Maori. Heoi, ko matou e mau nei o matou ingoa i raro nei, e whakaatu ana i a matou, me te whakaaro hoki o matou iwi ake mo aua Ture, kua Panuitia i tenei Tunga o te Paremete ko te ingoa o taua Ture ko te Ture Whenua Rahui Maori, me te Ture Whakatu Komihana, mo nga whenua Maori, me te nui noa atu o aua Ture, i hanga nei mo nga whenua Maori, e korerotia i roto i taua Panuitanga mo te Ture i hanga mo nga whenua Papatupu e mau tonu ana te mana Maori i runga i tana whenua, me te Ture mo te Riihitanga o aua whenua Papatupu ki taua Komihana, kia puta ai he Karati, me tahi atu tikanga, e whakahaerea ana e taua Komihana, me te Ture i hanga mo te hoko i aua whenua Maori. Heoi e whakaatu ana matou ko aua Ture kaua e whai mana ki runga ki nga whenua Maori, ko te Take, kua mate rawa matou nga iwi Maori i aua Ture i hanga mai i te tau 1860, i te tau 1862 me te Karatitanga o aua whenua Maori kua mate nei na te mokete na te hoko na te waipiro no reira ko taua Komihana me kore rawa e tu no te mea heoti rawa nga whenua e takoto ora ana ko nga whenua anake e takoto ana i waho o aua Ture e mau ana to matou mana i runga ko nga whenua anake tena kei a matou. Heoi, kahore matou e pai ki aua Ture i hanga nei mo nga whenua Maori i tenei Tunga o te Paremete me te Ture mo nga whenua Rahui me te Ture mo nga Riihitanga me kore rawa e whai mana ki runga ki nga whenua Maori me waiho o matou whenua ki a matou ko ta te Kuini kupu hoki tena i te Tiriti i Waitangi i te tau 1840. Ko taua kupu ano i te Tiriti i Kohimarama i panuitia e te
Ehoa e te Tumuaki e inoi ana matou kia whakamana mai ta matou e inoi atu nei me ata waiho mai o matou whenua kia matou. Me whakamutu te mana o enei Ture i runga i o matou whenua kahore hoki o te Kuini hiahia kia noho whenua kore matou nga tangata maori o Nui Tireni i raro i tona mana mehemea hoki e te Tumuaki e whakamana ana koe i enei Ture kua Ripekatia to matou o ranga no reira ka ata whakaarohia e matou ko enei Ture katoa kua panuitia nei mo matou mo nga iwi Maori me tuku ki raro kahore matou e tino pai atu ki enei Ture, kore rawa, erangi ra me panui atu ki nga iwi kia kite ratou i aua Ture me a matou Petihana whakahe i aua Ture me tuku ano kia kite nga iwi, heoi.
Ehoa e te Tumuaki ko ta matou tino whakaaro ma matou hoki e hanga etahi Ture mo matou mo nga iwi Maori inahoki ka toru tekau marua enei tau e hanga ana koe i te Ture mo te tangata Maori he mate anake te mahi a nga iwi Maori i roto i aua whaka haerenga Ture, na reira matou nga iwi Maori kua hui mai nei ki Poneke inoi atu ai kia tukua mai ma matou ano e
E te Tumuaki ma te kawana i roto i tona Runanga e whakamana enei Ture kua maharatia nei e matou i a matou ake i pai ai heoi ko nga iwi nana matou i whakamana i tuku mai ki te whakapuaki atu i a ratou whakaaro 1,661 te maha o aua kai tono mai i a matou, heoi ko matou ingoa ko nga tangata i tonoa mai e taua 1,661 ka tuhia iho ki raro nei.
Friend Mr. Speaker,—We have seen and conferred with the Natives on the east side of this Island, beginning at Wairarapa, and including those at Heretaunga, Wairoa,
Friend Mr. Speaker, we entreat you to accede to our present request to leave our land peaceably in our own possession. We wish these laws to have no effect upon our lands. The Queen had certainly no desire to see the Maori people, her New Zealand subjects, live without estate. Should you, nevertheless, Mr. Speaker, sanction these laws, then our very existence will be crucified. These are the reasons that we have fully considered all these laws which have been announced to us, the Maori people, and we trust that they will be withdrawn. As we are not altogether, we may say not at all, satisfied with these laws, we would propose that these laws be circulated among the Native tribes, to give them an opportunity of perusing them, along with our petitions rejecting them. Pray do permit the tribes to see them.
Friend Mr. Speaker, our candid opinion is this: we ought to project laws for ourselves, inasmuch as you have been these last thirty-two years enacting laws for the Maori people, and grievances to the Maoris is the only result of your operations and your guidance.
We Maoris have therefore assembled here in Wellington, asking your permission to devise laws for ourselves, while we would submit them to your Parliament and to yourself, Mr. Speaker, in order to approve, and have some respect paid to our wishes.
Mr. Speaker, it remains with the Governor in Council to confirm these laws, which have caused us to express our opinion as regards our own wishes. We therefore say that the people which authorized us to come here for the purpose of representing their views, number 1,661 persons.
We conclude by subscribing our names as the delegates of the above-mentioned 1,661 persons.